Wild Card Prediction: MIN vs GB

Wild Card Predictions for Saturday

Believe it or not, it won't be Adrian Peterson. Don't get me wrong, he will get his yards and perhaps a TD or two, but for Minnesota to prevail, they have to find a way to stop Aaron Rodgers on third down. If the Vikings can put enough pressure on Rodgers on third down plays he will miss some targets and perhaps throw a pick or two.

When the Packers have success in third down they are almost unbeatable. Allowing the Packers offense extra opportunities to extend drives is a recipe for disaster for any defense. I am putting the cutoff number at five conversions, any more than that and it will be a long day for the Vikings.

Keys to victory for the Packers:

Success on first down is the main goal for Green Bay. They have enough weapons to win a high scoring game, but keeping Peterson off the field gives them a much easier road to victory. I believe that if the Packers can muster six drives of six minutes or more it will result in a minimum of 23 points, which will be enough to take the Vikings out of their "run first" offense and force Christian Ponder to try and come from behind. The Packers now healthy defense will be waiting and find a couple easy picks in the fourth quarter.

My prediction- Vikings keep it close early but Packer's offense is too good in this match-up.
Green Bay 38 Minnesota 17